Chief of Emergency Medicine Dr. Indraneel Ghosh (left) and Chief of Medical Staff Dr. Ranjith Chandrasena during a press conference at the CKHA, April 26, 2016 (Photo by Jake Kislinsky)Chief of Emergency Medicine Dr. Indraneel Ghosh (left) and Chief of Medical Staff Dr. Ranjith Chandrasena during a press conference at the CKHA, April 26, 2016 (Photo by Jake Kislinsky)
Chatham

Volume Of Care Critical In Hospital Decisions

A team of physicians is defending the Chatham-Kent Health Alliance's plan for an emergency room remodelling.

The announcement comes in the wake of consistent public messages from the Sydenham District Hospital Board (SDH) regarding the future of its emergency program. The alliance's "Medical Advisory Committee" has provided some of its rationale for the proposed changes, which are still under a confidentiality blackout.

Chief of Emergency Medicine Dr. Indraneel Ghosh says they believe a facility that sees a high number of critical-care patients will provide the best service possible. As Ghosh explains, healthcare workers who deal with more cases and have more resources will be best equipped to treat patients, which is the ultimate goal.

"If this is your family member, where would you want them to go if they were critically ill," says Ghosh. "For me the answer is quite simple: I take the extra 25-minute drive by ambulance, where I know the paramedics can temporize, and I go to the best place the first time."

During a press conference Tuesday the committee provided data on procedures for the patients with the highest level of need; i.e. those who require resuscitation and airway intubation. The CKHA ER deals with an average of 38.5 resuscitations a month, while the SDH handles 11 a month. For intubation, the CKHA performs 7.3/month versus 1.6/month in Wallaceburg.

Ghosh adds the ability to treat emergency room patients goes beyond doctors that are at the hospital's disposal. He says the entire ER team's past training and experience needs to be taken into account.

"When a patients presents the exact same illness at [Sydenham District Hospital], what kind of care are they getting, when there's not backup, if you don't have the same resources and level of training, and you don't see it often enough," says Ghosh.

The exact details of the SDH emergency room's future have yet to be released. However some who have seen the report say the CKHA planned to downgrade emergency programming in Wallaceburg.

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